Snowboarding is a relatively new sport which can be visually compared to skateboarding and surfing, except its done on snow. Snowboard skiing is the legal name for snowboarding, which thereby affords snowboarding all the privileges and liabilities of alpine skiing. To snowboard, the rider stands on the board with his/her left or right foot forward, facing one side of the board. The feet are attached to the board via high-back or plate bindings which are non-releasable. Although there is at least one manufacturer of releasable bindings, they are not widely used. Moreover, the sport is distinct from monoskiing, wherein both feet are side by side on a single ski and the skier faces forward.
Snowboarding has gained in popularity only during the last 10 years. It was pioneered in the late 1970's by a small group of individuals with credit going to Jake Burton and Tom Sims. Both individuals now head snowboard manufacturers, with Burton being the largest snowboard manufacturer in the world. Burton has been frequently attributed with credit for having developed the first high-back bindings and metal edged boards. The roots, however, really started with the "snurfer" which was a sledding toy shaped like a small water ski, with rope tied to the nose and a rough surface for traction running from the center to the back where the user stood. Burton was involved with surfer racing and was the first to put a foot retention device on his boards. Accordingly, Burton and his boards began to regularly win these events and an industry was born. Today there are more than 65 snowboard equipment manufacturers of boards, boots, and bindings. The cost of snowboard equipment is very comparable to ski equipment with a wide range of costs and types.
Snowboarding is now prevalent on virtually all downhill ski slopes worldwide. In 1985 only 7 percent of ski areas allowed snowboards; today more than 90 percent allow snowboards, and over half have specialized snowboard areas referred to as half pipes. A half pipe is a trough cut or built up with snow, with the term originating from skateboarding. Today about 10 percent of the world skier population consists of snowboarders, with the annual growth rate for the sport projected at 20 percent. In the United States, about 80 percent of snowboarders are male with an average age of 20.8 years. The average snowboarder rides 15 days a year which is 3 times that of the average skier. The PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) and CSF (Canadian Snowboard Federation) now certifies snowboard instructors and most resorts which allow boarding will have instructors on staff. Moreover, the National Ski Patrol (NSP) and Canadian Ski Patrol (CSP) are actively integrating snowboards into their rescue programs.
Accordingly, major competitions utilizing snowboarding equipment are continually being organized involving major sponsorships, television coverage, and world-class athletes with snowboarding also soon to be an Olympic event. Such competitions range from downhill speed runs to slalom races to half-pipe and freestyle performances. As a result, four major categories of boards have been developed including race, alpine, all-around/free-riding, and half-pipe/freestyle.
Two types of bindings are commonly used in snowboarding: the high-back and the plate. The high-back is characterized by a vertical plastic back piece which is used to apply pressure to the heel-side of the board. This binding has two straps which go over the foot, with one strap holding down the heel and the other holding down the toe. Some high-backs also have a third strap on the vertical back piece called a shin strap which gives additional support and aids in toe side turns. The plate, or step-in binding, is used with a hard shell boot much like a ski binding except it is non-releasable.
For different events, the desired angle of the binding relative to the longitudinal axis of the board might need to be changed. For instance, during speed runs such as Giant Slalom (GS) the snowboarder would prefer to have his feet oriented more relatively straight ahead. For other events such as freestyle, the desired angle would be oriented more perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. From Transworld Snowboarding the average stances of pro riders from different snowboarding disciplines are as follows with width in inches, angles in degrees with 0 degrees being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, center being inches back from center, and length in cm:
______________________________________ stance front rear board width angle angle center length ______________________________________ Half-pipe: 20.7 17 2 0.5 152.5 Freeride: 21.1 22 7 1.7 170 Slalom: 17 49.2 47.2 0.4 156.8 GS 17 49.6 47.6 0.44 164.9 Super G 17.16 49.4 47.4 0.45 170.5 SlopeStyle 21.3 12 0 1 152.9 ______________________________________
Presently, snowboard bindings cannot be rotated and locked at different angular positions without using external tools. Bindings use either inserts or retention plate securement methods. Inserts consist of a nut built into the board with a machine screw then used to secure the binding. With the retention plate system, a sheet metal screw is used after tapping a hole into the board. It is referred to as plate retention because a metal plate is built into the board where the board will be tapped. The two most popular binding hole patterns include the Burton 3D and the F2 4.times.4. Each pattern provides 4 different positions or settings for stance adjustment of each binding. The majority of non-Burton boards use the 4.times.4 pattern.
However, with each securement and hole pattern method the user must first remove the boot from the binding and then loosen the series of screws--typically with a screwdriver--so the binding can be rotated and positioned at the desired angle. The loose screws must be retightened to lock the binding in place and the user can then reinsert the boot into the binding. Such an operation is difficult, time consuming, and inconvenient for the snowboarder. It would be impractical to require a snowboarder to perform such a field operation on their snowboard. This is particularly true given the high cost of ski-lift tickets and the overall desire by riders to maximize the number of runs performed during any given day.
Most people who use snowboards recreationally prefer to have their front foot positioned at a large angle (e.g. approximately 45 degrees or more) with respect to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard. After snowboarding down the slope, the user typically releases their rear boot and pushes along with the free foot to move the snowboard. Such action is similar to that provided by a skateboarder to move forward on flat surfaces, and hence is called "skating." If enough speed can be achieved via skating, the snowboarder can "glide" by placing the rear foot on the stomp pad which is attached between the bindings where the rear foot can be set when it is not in the rear binding. However, unlike skateboarding where both feet are free, the snowboarder's front foot is fixed at an awkward and inconvenient angle thereby making it difficult to achieve efficient forward locomotion.
Additionally, the inconvenient angle of the user's foot poses a problem when the snowboarder boards and dismounts the ski lift. When sitting down and extending the legs forward, the angle of the mounted foot causes the snowboard to interfere with adjacent passengers on the ski lift. This causes the snowboarder to uncomfortably twist their foot and/or leg and/or body sideways to compensate for the angle of the snowboard. This is particularly unacceptable in light of the long ride time of 15 minutes or more found on most ski lifts. Moreover, such twisting and contorting by the snowboarder might increase the chance of passengers or equipment falling from the lift.
Not only is this situation dangerous and annoying for fellow passengers on the ride up, it is also dangerous upon reaching the disembarkment point on the lift. Due to the unnatural orientation of the snowboarder's mounted foot, it may be difficult for the snowboarder to dismount the lift along the typical straight and narrow path found at most unloading points. Any deviation or lack of control can cause the snowboarder to careen into other patrons, and/or into dangerous obstacles like lift equipment. Moreover, if the snowboarder falls into the path of other disembarking patrons, the whole lift must be stopped until the snowboarder can collect himself and move out of danger.
Accordingly, a snowboard binding is needed wherein the mounting angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the board can be easily adjusted, through any angle, without the need for external tools. This will allow the snowboarder to adjust his foot for different angles for making runs under different conditions. Such a binding will also allow the snowboarder to quickly adjust his mounted foot to a forward facing angle at the end of a run. This will thereby facilitate more efficient and controllable forward locomotion through skating and gliding motions, and also eliminate interference of the snowboard with adjacent fellow passengers on ski lifts.